Hella Creative Film Club — Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story
About this Event
The Hella Creative Film Club presents the Oakland premiere of Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story — an evening of film, conversation, and community during Oakland Juneteenth Week, in partnership with Hella Juneteenth.
Kwame Brathwaite was the Harlem photographer who didn't just say "Black is Beautiful" — he helped build it into a movement. In 1962 he launched the Grandassa Models and the "Naturally" shows, putting natural hair, dark skin, and African features on stage at a moment when mainstream culture erased them. Over a 60-year career he shot more than half a million images — everyday Harlem life alongside intimate portraits of Muhammad Ali, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and Bob Marley. Yemi Bamiro's documentary — featuring Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Williams, and Tyler Mitchell — is an uplifting, cinematic portrait of the "Keeper of the Images" whose work changed how a people saw themselves. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at the 2026 American Black Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best British Discovery at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival. It had its world premiere at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival; June 16 is its Oakland premiere.
Doors 8:00 · 98-minute film
A Wayfarer Studios production, in association with The Kwame Brathwaite Archive. Photographs © The Kwame Brathwaite Archive.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 26.68
